Bulk mail opener



July 18, 1961 N. BELOFAVLOVICH, JR 2,992,629

BULK MAIL OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1959 AUCK grroe/vsys July 18, 1961 N. BELOPAVLOVICH, JR 2,992,629

BULK MAIL OPENER Filed June 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. A066 55: 0/ 41/4 OV/ cw, d8

47 Teen 5Y3 United Sates Patent 2,992,629 BULK MAIL OPENER Nick Belopavlovich, Jr., Gary, Ind. (916 E. 45th 'Ave.) Filed June 26, 1959, Ser. No. 823,133 1Claim. (Cl. 120-35) This invention relates to letter openers, and more particularly to an apparatus for simultaneously opening a large number of vertically stacked envelopes.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device for simultaneously opening a large number of stacked envelopes, the device being simple in construction, being easy to operate and being adjustable so that it will quickly and efficiently open a stack of envelopes without damaging the contents of the envelopes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved device for opening a large number of vertically stacked envelopes, said device being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, being easy to adjust for use, and being relatively compact in size.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top view of an improved letter opening device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View, partly in vertical cross section, of the letter opening device of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the cutting belt employed in the letter opening machine of FIGURES 1 to 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view showing an envelope which has been opened by the machine illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a letter opening machine according to the present invention, the machine 11 comprising a horizontal base 12 provided with depending corner legs 13, whereby the base may be supported on a table top or other suitable horizontal surface. The base 12 is formed with a laterally projecting side portion 14 on which is mounted an electric motor 15, the motor being provided with a suitable line cord and being also provided with a suitable control switch connected in circuit with the line cord, not shown.

Designated generally at 16 is a frame which comprises a pair of vertical, generally triangular plate-like side walls 17, 17 which are integrally connected by a transversely extending vertical front end wall 18. Journaled between the corner portions of the side walls 17 are a plurality of rollers 19, 20 and 21 which extend horizontally, the rollers 19 and 20 being vertically spaced by a substantial distance and being in vertical alignment, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 2. The side walls 17, 17 are provided with depending lugs 21 which are secured to the respective front and rear edges of the main portion of base 12, as by suitable fastening members 22.

Designated at 23 is a flexible endless belt which is supported on the rollers 19, 2t and 21, the vertical portion of the belt 24 being disposed adjacent to the transversely extending front end wall portion 18 of the frame 16.

The endless belt 23 comprises a flexible main body 25 of leather, or the like, the belt being provided with a plurality of inclined bands comprising sharpened prong elements 26, such as tacks, or the like which extend through the belt and project at the outside surface thereof, the heads of the tacks being covered by respective strips 27 of suitable, relatively stiif cloth stitched to the inside surface of the main body 25 of the belt. Thus, the pointed ends of the tacks, or similar sharpened prong elements, designated at 26, project from the outside surface of the belt, as is clearly illustrated in FIGURE 5.

Designated generally at 30 is a carriage member which is slidably supported on the base 12 for movement toward and away from the vertical portion 24 of the belt 23, the carriage member being provided with a depending rib 31 formed with opposite side, ribs 32, 32. The rib 31 engages in a longitudinal slot 33 formed in the base 12, and the side walls of the slot are formed with guide grooves 34, 34 which slidably receive the ribs 32, 32. A horizontal adjusting screw 35 is threadedly engaged with the main rib 31 of carriage 30 and extends longitudinally through the slot 33, being journaled at one end in a transversely extending vertical wall element 36 formed in the base 12 and being journaled at its forward end in the end wall 37 of the slot 33.

The adjusting screw 35 is formed adjacent the wall element 36 with a collar element 38 and the bearing portion 39 of the screw is suitably shouldered so as to be engaged by the retaining nut 40 associated with the adjusting screw 35, as shown in FIGURE 2, whereby the screw is rotatably secured to the wall element 36, being thus free to rotate but being restrained against endwise movement.

A suitable hand wheel 41 is provided on the forward end of the adjusting screw, whereby the screw may be manually rotated to move the carriage member 30 toward or away from the vertical belt portion 24.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the carriage member is arranged for movement in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the rollers 19 to 21, namely, in a direction perpendicular to the vertical belt portion 24.. The carriage member is formed at its corners with the respective vertical upstanding post members 42, said post members defining a space between the respective pairs of post members at the opposite sides of the carriage member shaped to receive a vertical stack of envelopes 43. The envelopes '43 may be arranged vertically so that the edges of the envelopes at one side thereof may be engaged against the vertical belt portion 24 by suitably adjusting the screw member 35, whereby the edges of the envelopes will be abraded by the outwardly projecting prong elements 26 responsive to movement of the belt, as will be presently explained.

The post members 42 are provided withvertically spaced inwardly projecting locking pins 44. Designated at 45 is a horizontal cover member which is slidably engageable between the respective pairs of post members 42 at the opposite sides of the carriage 30 and is adapted to rest on the uppermost of the stacked envelopes 43. The cover member 45 is generally channel-shaped in cross section, as shown in FIGURE 3, being provided with the respective upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls 46, 46. The side walls are formed with longitudinal slots 47 which are substantially longer than the locking pins 44. Respective transversely extending locking rods 48 are engaged through the pairs of slots 47 in the opposite side walls 46, 46 of the cover member 45, the ends of the rod members 48 being receivable beneath selected locking pins 44 in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 to retain the cover member 45 against upward movement after it has been once clamped on the top of the stack of envelopes. A resilient locking spring 49 is provided on the cover member 45, said locking spring being formed with the opposed yieldable bight portions 50, 50 which respectively engage the transversely extending locking rods 48, 48, biasing the rods toward the outer ends of the guide slots 47. The locking rods 48 may be moved inwardly against the force of the bight portions 50, 50 of-spring 49 sufficiently to clear the inner ends of the locking pins 44, whereby the cover member 45 may be lifted off the stack of letters 43 to allow the letters to be removed from the carriage member 30 after the letters have been opened.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the spring member 49 comprises a single piece of resilient wire having a straight longitudinally extending mid portion 49 which is engaged beneath a retaining lug '51 formed at one side of the cover member, the respective end portions 52, 52 of the locking spring being lockingly engaged in respective apertures 53, 53 formed at the opposite sides of the cover member 45. The bight portions 50, 50 are formed on the resilient wire member between the straight mid portion 49' thereof and the ends 52, 52 thereof, the bight portions 50, 50 projecting oppositely so that they abut against the transversely extending locking rods 48, 48, as shown in FIGURE 1. The rods 48, 48 may be moved inwardly by exerting manual inward force thereon, the force being sufiicient to overcome the biasing force of the bight portions 50, 50 of the locking spring 49.

The shaft of the electric motor 15 is provided with an output pulley 55 which is coupled by a belt 56 to an output pulley 57 mounted on the shaft of the roller 20. Thus, the motor 15 is drivingly coupled to the belt 23 through the roller 20, so that the belt moves on the rollers responsive to the energization of the motor 15. By adjusting the screw 35, the stack of letters 43 placed on the carriage member 30 may be moved sufficiently close so that the edges of the envelopes are brought substantially into contact with the prong elements projecting from the outsidesurface of the belt, whereby said prong elements abrade the edges and thus open the envelopes.

In operation, the stack of envelopes 43 is placed on the carriage member 30 and the cover member 45 is then engaged on the uppermost envelope and pressed downwardly sufficiently to maintain the envelopes in vertically stacked relationship. When this is being done the rod members 48, 48 are squeezed together to allow the cover member 45 to be pressed downwardly to exert the correct amount of clamping force on the envelopes. The rod members 48, 48 are then released, allowing the rod members to engage beneath the upwardly adjacent locking pins 44, as above described, thus holding the cover member in clamping position on the stack of envelopes 43. With the motor 15 energized, the hand wheel 41 is then rotated to bring the edges of the envelopes into contact with the prong elements on the outside surface of the moving belt 23. This cuts open the edges of the envelopes, as above described. The carriage member may then be retracted and the envelopes maybe removed therefrom. FIGURE 6 illustrates an envelope having the edge 60 thereof abraded away by the machine by the process above described.

While a specific embodiment of an improved letter opening device has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the H scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A letter opening device comprising a horizontal base, an electric motor mounted on said base, a vertical frame on said base, an endless flexible belt, a plurality of spaced horizontal rollers journaled on the frame and including a pair of vertically aligned rollers, said rollers supportingly engaging said belt at its inside surface, a plurality of relatively sharp cutting prong elements projecting from the outside surface of the belt, a carriage member, cooperating means on the carriage member andbasesupporting the carriage member on the base for sliding adjustment toward and away from the portion of the belt extending between said vertically aligned rollers, said carriage member being shaped to receive a stack of envelopes and to support same with the edges of the envelopes at one side thereof engaged against the belt, means drivingly coupling said motor to one of said rollers, a of spaced upstanding corner posts mounted on each side of said carriage member, vertically spaced opposing inwardly extending locking projections on said corner posts, a cover member disposed between the pairs of corner posts and slidably engaging said corner posts at its side edges, and transversely extending locking rods yieldably mounted on the cover member and projecting laterally from the side edges of the cover member and being of sufficient length to lockingly engage said locking projections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

